Strep Throat - removing tonsils

DS has had strep 5-6 times since November. I am at my wits end with it.
He was tested between and there were moments where his test came back negative (not a carrier)
Has this happened to anyone else? Did removing tonsils actually help?

Strep Throat - removing tonsils

I had this one year in high school. I got to the point where the doctor said if I got it one more time then we would have to discuss removing my tonsils. I haven't had strep since. I'm not sure if I built up an immunity or what, but there have been plenty of times where people close to me have had it - college roommate, husband, etc., and I got nothing.

Strep Throat - removing tonsils

Did not have kids tonsil removed- but went through what you are going through. (Especially when they were around 1st / 2nd grade)

Having three kids close in age, one year, I felt I was dealing with it constantly- so when I was ready to talk to the doctor about it, I made a list and realized each kid only had it like 4 times. It was not as frequent as I thought- but it was to me!

After that year, it was not as frequent. Perhaps it was just rampant in the area.

How old is your son?

Re: Strep Throat - removing tonsils

Re: Strep Throat - removing tonsils

I had strep a lot as a kid. The doctors said the same thing to me. One more time and we will remove them. For some reason I didn’t get strep after that. I had a really bad sore throat virus twice as an adult and I had mono.

I will, however, say that I have dealt with sore throats my whole life since then. That’s my experience. I probably should have had them taken out. But I’m not a doctor.

ETA: I get sore throats a few times a year. Even when I have allergies. I’m used to it, but I wish they had been taken out.

Message edited 3/12/2019 8:19:53 PM.

Strep Throat - removing tonsils

My son had his tonsils out when he was 8, and has never been sick with strep since. I think it's hard to get strep without tonsils. That wasn't the reason he got them removed though. his were enlarged.

Re: Strep Throat - removing tonsils

Re: Strep Throat - removing tonsils

This was me in my early 20s. I had it 10 times in a year! Was ridiculous. I had them removed and haven’t had it since. They were also very enlarged and basically shaved them down to small nubs. Recovery wasn’t bad. I remember having them out in a Thursday and went to work on Monday. Probably not the best but I was ok.

Re: Strep Throat - removing tonsils

No personal experience but my DH has bad throat/strep when he was a kid and the dr told his mom his tonsils should come out. She never did and now when he gets sick (not strep, just sick in general) his tonsils get so big and swollen, you can hardly see his throat. We’ve talked about him doing it now but it’s supposedly so much worse as an adult. His mom feels bad about not doing it when he was little

Re: Strep Throat - removing tonsils

Posted by b2b777

Posted by BargainMama

My son had his tonsils out when he was 8, and has never been sick with strep since. I think it's hard to get strep without tonsils. That wasn't the reason he got them removed though. his were enlarged.

how was recovery?

Message edited 3/13/2019 7:56:07 AM.

Re: Strep Throat - removing tonsils

I had mine out at age 19. The doctor said I had the largest tonsils he’d ever seen - not a good comment from a doctor.

After years of strep, bronchitis, mono and near constant tonsillitis, I did see a big improvement after surgery. It’s not just strep it seemed to help me prevent, but it’s all those little viruses and colds that wear down your immune system and make you more susceptible in the first place. I feel like it drastically improved my overall health.

I don’t remember recovery being bad. Pain pills for a few days at most and soft foods.

Obviously different for a young child but wanted to share my experience.

Re: Strep Throat - removing tonsils

my DD had hers out at 10 , not because she got sick a lot but because they were so enlarged they were causing her to have sleep apnea.

She did great with the surgery - recovery for her was easy. The first couple of night we were up a lot with the pain and she ate a lot of ices - (no ice cream - that is a myth - too creamy and causes phlegm). I think she was out and about by the end of that week but had to wait 10 days to 2 weeks to get back in the pool if I remember

Strep Throat - removing tonsils

my boys all had their tonsils out because of sleep issues. However they still have gotten strep without their tonsils. maybe once a year they get strep.

Strep Throat - removing tonsils

My kids would get strep about 4-5 times a year. If one got it, the other surely got it within days. They also both snored and had mild sleep apnea. I decided to move forward with having their tonsils and adenoids out. I did it this past July. For me it felt necessary since they were not sleeping well and also missing so many days of school. They have not gotten strep this winter at all but they both got the flu. Their pediatrician said kids without tonsils can get the flu more easily.
Recovery was tough, my son who is 8 recovered in about 8-10 days. My daughter was 9 and she was 14 days before she was comfortable. I did it over the summer so they didn't miss school. I wish I had done it when they were younger. I hear recovery is much quicker the younger they are. I have no regrets so far. Fall and winter was always so brutal with them constantly having strep.